Comparison
DeepSeek vs Claude
In our test runs on October 8, 2026, the same 50 prompts across 10 jobs: DeepSeek's 2 models passed 97 of 100 replies and Claude's 6 models passed 275 of 300 replies. On llmwise Pro, DeepSeek V4 Pro up to 250 messages a month and Claude Sonnet 5.5 up to 125.
Based on 400 of our test runs on , through OpenRouter with the app's own prompt and settings. Updated .
Short answer
Job by job, both families' best models shared the top result on 8 of the 10 jobs; DeepSeek's alone had it on writing; Claude's alone had it on customer support.
DeepSeek vs Claude, job by job
On each job, DeepSeek's pick against Claude's: the model of each family that passed the most of the job's 5 prompts (then the most hard ones, then the cheaper). The jobs where they differ most come first.
Writing: DeepSeek V4 Pro passed 5 of 5 and Claude Sonnet 5 4 of 5. DeepSeek V4 Pro answered 1.1× sooner at the median, 3.9 s against 4.5 s. DeepSeek V4 Pro cost 3.2× less, $0.0054 against $0.0171 for the 5 replies. Claude Sonnet 5's replies ran 119% longer, in tokens of reply, thinking not counted.
Customer support: DeepSeek V4 Pro passed 4 of 5 and Claude Sonnet 5 5 of 5. Claude Sonnet 5 answered 1.2× sooner at the median, 4.1 s against 3.5 s. DeepSeek V4 Pro cost 2.4× less, $0.0077 against $0.0182 for the 5 replies. Claude Sonnet 5's replies ran 97% longer, in tokens of reply, thinking not counted.
Coding: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash passed 5 of 5 and Claude Haiku 5.5 5 of 5. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash answered 1.6× sooner at the median, 2.5 s against 3.9 s. Claude Haiku 5.5 cost 4.1× less, $0.0092 against $0.0023 for the 5 replies. Their replies ran to about the same length.
Math: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash passed 5 of 5 and Claude Haiku 5.5 5 of 5. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash answered 1.9× sooner at the median, 0.9 s against 1.7 s. Claude Haiku 5.5 cost 1.7× less, $0.0012 against $0.0007 for the 5 replies. Claude Haiku 5.5's replies ran 93% longer, in tokens of reply, thinking not counted.
Summarization: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash passed 5 of 5 and Claude Haiku 4.5 5 of 5. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash answered 3.3× sooner at the median, 0.5 s against 1.7 s. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash cost 5.0× less, $0.0010 against $0.0051 for the 5 replies. Their replies ran to about the same length.
Data analysis: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash passed 5 of 5 and Claude Haiku 5.5 5 of 5. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash answered 3.8× sooner at the median, 0.9 s against 3.3 s. Claude Haiku 5.5 cost 2.4× less, $0.0042 against $0.0018 for the 5 replies. Claude Haiku 5.5's replies ran 21% longer, in tokens of reply, thinking not counted.
Translation: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash passed 5 of 5 and Claude Haiku 5.5 5 of 5. Their median waits were close, 1.3 s against 1.4 s. Claude Haiku 5.5 cost 3.2× less, $0.0029 against $0.0009 for the 5 replies. Claude Haiku 5.5's replies ran 32% longer, in tokens of reply, thinking not counted.
SQL: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash passed 5 of 5 and Claude Haiku 5.5 5 of 5. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash answered 3.1× sooner at the median, 0.4 s against 1.3 s. They cost about the same, $0.0010 against $0.0011 for the 5 replies. Claude Haiku 5.5's replies ran 88% longer, in tokens of reply, thinking not counted.
RAG and answering from documents: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash passed 5 of 5 and Claude Haiku 5.5 5 of 5. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash answered 3.2× sooner at the median, 0.3 s against 1.1 s. Claude Haiku 5.5 cost 1.2× less, $0.0008 against $0.0007 for the 5 replies. Their replies ran to about the same length.
Agents and tool use: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash passed 5 of 5 and Claude Haiku 5.5 5 of 5. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash answered 2.9× sooner at the median, 0.4 s against 1.0 s. Claude Haiku 5.5 cost 1.5× less, $0.0010 against $0.0007 for the 5 replies. Claude Haiku 5.5's replies ran 32% longer, in tokens of reply, thinking not counted.
The 2 prompts only one of DeepSeek and Claude passed
Where one family's pick passed a prompt and the other's didn't, in each check's own words.
Announce a second bakery shop on LinkedIn (writing): DeepSeek V4 Pro passed and Claude Sonnet 5 didn't. DeepSeek V4 Pro: Graded 4.5 of 5 on average (lowest 4). Claude Sonnet 5: Graded 3.5 of 5 on average (lowest 3).
A frustrated customer (customer support): Claude Sonnet 5 passed and DeepSeek V4 Pro didn't. DeepSeek V4 Pro: Graded 2.3 of 5 on average (lowest 1). Claude Sonnet 5: Graded 4.3 of 5 on average (lowest 4).
Each DeepSeek model against each Claude model
Every DeepSeek model against every Claude model on the same 50 prompts: each one's passes, how many prompts split them, and who was cheaper and quicker.
DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Claude Fable 5.1: 49 and 45 of 50; 6 prompts split them; DeepSeek V4 Pro's replies cost 5.5× less in all, and DeepSeek V4 Pro answered sooner on 32, Claude Fable 5.1 on 11.
DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Claude Opus 5.5: 49 and 49 of 50; 2 prompts split them; DeepSeek V4 Pro's replies cost 2.9× less in all, and DeepSeek V4 Pro answered sooner on 32, Claude Opus 5.5 on 13. Claude Opus 5.5 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro.
DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Claude Sonnet 5.5: 49 and 47 of 50; 2 prompts split them; their replies cost about the same in all, and Claude Sonnet 5.5 answered sooner on 34, DeepSeek V4 Pro on 10.
DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Claude Sonnet 5: 49 and 46 of 50; 5 prompts split them; DeepSeek V4 Pro's replies cost 1.1× less in all, and DeepSeek V4 Pro answered sooner on 25, Claude Sonnet 5 on 20. Claude Sonnet 5 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro.
DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Claude Haiku 4.5: 49 and 43 of 50; 6 prompts split them; Claude Haiku 4.5's replies cost 2.5× less in all, and Claude Haiku 4.5 answered sooner on 35, DeepSeek V4 Pro on 7. Claude Haiku 4.5 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro.
DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Claude Haiku 5.5: 49 and 45 of 50; 4 prompts split them; Claude Haiku 5.5's replies cost 15.5× less in all, and Claude Haiku 5.5 answered sooner on 41, DeepSeek V4 Pro on 5.
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs Claude Fable 5.1: 48 and 45 of 50; 5 prompts split them; DeepSeek V4.1 Flash's replies cost 38.6× less in all, and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash answered sooner on 50, Claude Fable 5.1 on 0.
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs Claude Opus 5.5: 48 and 49 of 50; 3 prompts split them; DeepSeek V4.1 Flash's replies cost 20.6× less in all, and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash answered sooner on 50, Claude Opus 5.5 on 0.
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs Claude Sonnet 5.5: 48 and 47 of 50; 5 prompts split them; DeepSeek V4.1 Flash's replies cost 7.4× less in all, and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash answered sooner on 42, Claude Sonnet 5.5 on 7.
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs Claude Sonnet 5: 48 and 46 of 50; 6 prompts split them; DeepSeek V4.1 Flash's replies cost 7.8× less in all, and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash answered sooner on 49, Claude Sonnet 5 on 0.
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs Claude Haiku 4.5: 48 and 43 of 50; 7 prompts split them; DeepSeek V4.1 Flash's replies cost 2.9× less in all, and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash answered sooner on 44, Claude Haiku 4.5 on 5. Claude Haiku 4.5 vs DeepSeek V4.1 Flash.
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs Claude Haiku 5.5: 48 and 45 of 50; 5 prompts split them; Claude Haiku 5.5's replies cost 2.2× less in all, and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash answered sooner on 41, Claude Haiku 5.5 on 7. Claude Haiku 5.5 vs DeepSeek V4.1 Flash.
One writing prompt, both replies
DeepSeek V4 Pro and Claude Sonnet 5 on a writing prompt, the job where they differed most: both replies as they came.
An everyday prompt: “Announce a second bakery shop on LinkedIn”, in full.
DeepSeek V4 Pro
Passed: Graded 4.5 of 5 on average (lowest 4).
Big news from Crumb & Co. — we're opening a second shop, and this time we're heading to Leeds. Our new bakery will open its doors on Thursday 14 November, and we'd love you to be among the first through them. Come and see the new space, smell the bread coming out of the oven, and say hello to the team. To mark the day, we're giving away free coffee to everyone who visits — our way of saying thank you for supporting a small, independent bakery. We've spent months getting this little shop ready, and we're equal parts nervous and excited. If you're in Leeds, we'd be glad to see you. Bring a friend, grab a warm loaf, and help us make it feel like home. See you on the 14th.
400 tokens in, 199 out (35 of them reasoning) · 3.9 s · $0.0010 · 1 message on Pro · answered by deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro-0813 via Wafer ·
Claude Sonnet 5
Failed: Graded 3.5 of 5 on average (lowest 3).
We have some exciting news to share: Crumb & Co. is opening our second shop, this time in Leeds! From our very first bakery, we've believed in doing simple things well — proper sourdough, honest pastries, and coffee worth stopping for. Now we get to bring that same spirit to a new neighbourhood and, hopefully, a whole new group of familiar faces. Our Leeds shop opens its doors on 14 November, and we'd love for you to be there. To celebrate, every coffee on opening day is on us — no catch, just our way of saying thank you for supporting us along the way. This has been months of planning, a lot of taste-testing, and more excitement than we know what to do with. We can't wait to welcome you in, share some fresh bakes, and start building new memories together. See you there — first coffee's on the house.
538 tokens in, 267 out · 4.6 s · $0.0037 · 1 message on Pro · answered by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 via Claude Platform on AWS ·
Every model, every job
All 8 DeepSeek and Claude models in llmwise across the 50 prompts, with what a reply cost to run and each model's count on Pro.
| Model | Passed | Hard ones | Cost per reply | On Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek V4 ProDeepSeek | 49 of 50 | 20 of 20 | $0.0037 | Up to 250 a month |
| DeepSeek V4.1 FlashDeepSeek | 48 of 50 | 19 of 20 | $0.00052 | Up to 60 a day |
| Claude Fable 5.1Anthropic | 45 of 50 | 17 of 20 | $0.0200 | Up to 31 a month |
| Claude Opus 5.5Anthropic | 49 of 50 | 19 of 20 | $0.0107 | Up to 62 a month |
| Claude Sonnet 5.5Anthropic | 47 of 50 | 19 of 20 | $0.0038 | Up to 125 a month |
| Claude Sonnet 5Anthropic | 46 of 50 | 19 of 20 | $0.0041 | Up to 125 a month |
| Claude Haiku 4.5Anthropic | 43 of 50 | 15 of 20 | $0.0015 | Up to 250 a month |
| Claude Haiku 5.5Anthropic | 45 of 50 | 19 of 20 | $0.00024 | Up to 60 a day |
Passed: replies that passed their check, of those scored. Cost: what OpenRouter charged us per reply, on average; in llmwise you pay per message, not per token. Every prompt and how it's scored.
Every limit is published. Paid plans also have a monthly fair-use limit on AI cost: Pro $7.50, Max $20, Ultra $42, Studio $85. Using every message on your plan at typical sizes stays under it; very large messages and heavy research use it faster. Every limit, explained.
Its own subscription
The one company here with its own plan at about llmwise Pro's price ($20 a month), in its own words, dated. We drop a plan here when its facts are more than 45 days old.
Claude Pro (Anthropic), $20 a month
Models it names: Claude Opus, Claude Sonnet, and Claude Haiku. On its limits: “The number of messages you can send will vary based on message length, including the length of files you attach, the length of your current conversation, and the model or feature you use. Your session-based usage limit will reset every five hours.” Claude Pro vs llmwise.
Checked : Claude Help Center: What is the Pro plan?, Claude Help Center: Claude Fable models on your plan and Claude pricing.
llmwise Pro, $20 a month, has all 8 of these models in one chat, on one monthly allowance. On it: DeepSeek V4 Pro up to 250 messages a month and Claude Sonnet 5.5 up to 125.
The lineups at a glance
What follows from each model's facts in our catalog.
The lineups
DeepSeek: 2 models, DeepSeek V4 Pro and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash. Claude: 6 models, Claude Fable 5.1, Claude Opus 5.5, Claude Sonnet 5.5, Claude Sonnet 5, Claude Haiku 4.5, and Claude Haiku 5.5.
Price per message
The least expensive DeepSeek model is DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (60 messages a day on Pro); the least expensive Claude model is Claude Haiku 5.5 (60 messages a day on Pro).
Context window
DeepSeek goes up to 1.05M tokens (DeepSeek V4 Pro); Claude up to 1M tokens (Claude Fable 5.1).
Images and PDFs
DeepSeek V4 Pro doesn't read images. DeepSeek V4 Pro and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash get a PDF's text rather than the file itself.
On the Free plan
Free's one-time trial of 5 messages covers DeepSeek V4 Pro, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, Claude Sonnet 5.5, Claude Sonnet 5, Claude Haiku 4.5, and Claude Haiku 5.5, and Claude Opus 5.5 for 1 message. Paid plans have every model, with messages every month.
Model by model
Two named models side by side, prompt by prompt, each with its messages on every plan.
More head-to-heads
Each of DeepSeek and Claude against the other families, every job from the same test runs.
Where your messages go
In llmwise, a message to Claude goes to its maker, Anthropic, or through OpenRouter when llmwise can't reach the maker directly. DeepSeek models are served only through OpenRouter, by endpoints that don't store or train on prompts. The Privacy Policy has the details.
Questions
Which is better, DeepSeek or Claude?
In our test runs on October 8, 2026, the same 50 prompts across 10 jobs: DeepSeek's 2 models passed 97 of 100 replies and Claude's 6 models passed 275 of 300 replies. Job by job, both families' best models shared the top result on 8 of the 10 jobs; DeepSeek's alone had it on writing; Claude's alone had it on customer support.
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek or Claude?
In llmwise, the least expensive DeepSeek model is DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (60 messages a day on Pro), and the least expensive Claude model is Claude Haiku 5.5 (60 messages a day on Pro). At API list prices (October 2026), a typical message of 4,000 tokens in and 700 out costs $0.0020 on DeepSeek V4.1 Flash and $0.0008 on Claude Haiku 5.5.
Can I use DeepSeek and Claude in the same chat?
Yes. Pick a model for each message; when you switch, the next model sees the whole conversation, including the other one's answers.
Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Grok, Kimi, GLM, and Mistral, in one chat.
See what a message costs before you send it. Free is 5 messages to try; sign in with an email link, no password or card.